Floatopia’s possible return raises fresh concerns for Virginia Beach neighborhoods on Chesapeake Bay

Virginia Beach — Two years ago, a Memorial Day weekend beach party dubbed Floatopia got out of control.

In addition to residents reporting intoxicated people urinating and defecating in yards, partiers left behind 10 tons of trash on the beach — which garnered attention from national media outlets.

Civic leagues along the Chesapeake Bay are concerned that could happen again this weekend after seeing social media posts about “Floatopia 2021,” including a Facebook event that has since been removed or made private. Although, a rainy forecast may discourage people from attending.

“Is it really going to happen? We don’t know,” said Danny Murphy, the president of Ocean Park Civic League. “But I am going to make sure the city is aware of it if it does.”

On May 21, Stephen Hobbs, one of the Floatopia organizers in 2019, posted on Facebook that he planned to be on the beach near Froggie’s at 3656 Shore Dr. Hobbs didn’t explicitly say he was organizing another Floatopia, but told people to clean up after themselves and posted several photos of past Floatopia events.

Hobbs told The Virginian-Pilot in 2019 the event had been around for numerous years, and he had organized it for eight.

This year, no event has been permitted by the city, said Julie Hill, a spokesperson for the city.

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“I’m not sure about you but I will be be (sic) on beach Sunday Memorial Day weekend,” Hobbs wrote on his Facebook page. “May the Sun gods shine upon us. Please leave only your footprints in the sand.”

In 2019, Hobbs took responsibility for being one of the hosts of the gathering and said he tried to clean up the mess, but was overwhelmed by the amount of trash left behind. The city’s Public Works crews reported picking up alcohol containers, clothing items, discarded inflatables and abandoned beach items such as tents, chairs and boogie boards.

This year, the city said it is more prepared. On Wednesday, Hill published a release warning people to follow laws or face punishment. Police will increase their presence in the area and ticket people who are drinking alcohol or littering on the beach, Hill said. Citations also will be issued to anyone caught illegally parking in nearby residential areas.

The city will also place additional portable toilets and trash cans along the Chesapeake Beach, and Public Works employees will increase the frequency of trash collections, Hill said.

T.J. Morgan, president of Chesapeake Beach Civic League, said his group met with police Monday evening to make sure the city planned to provide the proper enforcement. He said the 2019 event hurt the city’s reputation, and he doesn’t want that to occur again.

“It was disgraceful,” Morgan said. “I think the approach we need to take is hope for the best but prepare for the worst.”

Alissa Skelton, 757-995-9043, alissa.skelton@pilotonline.com